Sports such as golf are enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of different genders and dramatically different ages and/or skill levels. In golf, players at all skill levels seek to improve their performance, lower their golf scores, and reach that next performance “level.” Manufacturers of all types of golf equipment have responded to these demands, and in recent years, the industry has witnessed dramatic changes and improvements in golf equipment. For example, a wide range of different golf ball models now are available, with balls designed to complement specific swing speeds and/or other player characteristics or preferences, e.g., with some balls designed to fly farther and/or straighter; some designed to provide higher or flatter trajectories; some designed to provide more spin, control, and/or feel (particularly around the greens); some designed for faster or slower swing speeds; etc. A host of swing and/or teaching aids also are available on the market that promise to help lower one's golf scores.
Being the sole instrument that sets a golf ball in motion during play, golf clubs also have been the subject of much technological research and advancement in recent years. For example, the market has seen dramatic changes and improvements in putter designs, golf club head designs, shafts, and grips in recent years. Additionally, other technological advancements have been made in an effort to better match the various elements and/or characteristics of the golf club and characteristics of a golf ball to a particular user's swing features or characteristics (e.g., club fitting technology, ball launch angle measurement technology, ball spin rates, etc.).
Improvement in golf may also be achieved by studying a player's swing and adjusting his or her posture and swing characteristics to maximize momentum, head speed, lie angle, impact location and the like. However, it may be difficult for a user to independently to determine head speed or an impact location of the golf ball against the golf club face. Additionally, having additional information regarding how (e.g., where) a golfer is hitting a golf ball with a golf club may allow the golfer to better improve his or her swing. Several factors affect a golfer's swing. For example, the lie angle, the loft angle, type of golf ball, and the club head angle of the club during impact with a golf ball greatly affect the trajectory of the ball.
Various analysis systems have been developed for analysis and communication of various golf swing performance metrics to a player. However, due to the inherent complexity of a golf swing, complex, and computationally-intensive processes may be required for analyzing a player's golf swing, wherein these processes may receive information related to one or more characteristics of a golf swing from one or more sensors. Analysis systems have been designed, in some instances, to be portable, and integrated into golf club structures such that analysis of a player's golf swing may be performed on a golf course during a round of golf. These portable analysis systems may consume power from portable power supplies, such as batteries, which are carried by a player during the round of golf. Accordingly, systems, methods, computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that will reduce the costs and improve the efficiencies and power consumption of such analysis systems would be a welcome advance in the art.